Adding stern rail seats to a 92 23.5

[Alan Russell]

I have looked at several 23.5's that don't have the stern rail seats. I really would like those if I move to a Hunter 23.5.. Anyone know if they are still available from hunter, the cost, and the degree of difficulty installing them?

 

[Ed]

Get Them From Hunter

I put a set on my '93 23.5 in 2004. The price then from Hunter was $650. It is a two person job and you may have to get "creative" with backing plate under the gunwales. The later model 23.5s had plates glassed into the hull but a '92 probably will not. Stock aluminum from the hardware store will work OK. If you go with the rails, install them on a relatively cool day. A case of beer will help but save it 'til you're done drilling the holes. There should be lots of info on this in the archives.It is one of the best upgrades you can do for the boat. They are great.

 

[Ed]

Lifelines

Alan,You will also have to modify the lifelines and add gates. The local marina did mine for about $180 but you can probably get it done cheaper.

 

[Brad Wagner]

Well worth the trouble

Hi Alan,I added stern rail seats to my '94 23.5 in 2004 as well. Like Ed, I paid about $650 from Hunter. They were not easy to install. On the earlier 23.5's (like ours) there are no backing plates for the stern rail seats. Glassing in the 2 big chunks of aluminum (provided) on the inside of the transom was the most challenging. It's pretty tight back there, especially for a big guy. Once those were in, I found out the stainless backing plates for the gunales were too wide to fit. A call back to Hunter and they sent me the correct ones. After mounting the port side stern rail I was on a role - it fit like a glove. However, the starboard side must of bent in shipping, or it slipped in the welding jig. Another call to Hunter and they reccomended that I try to cold set (bend) it before resorting to shipping it back. I was able to tweak it back into shape with the help of a couple of big, closely spaced trees to hold one end while I tugged on the other (big guy was an advantage here!). I figured I had nothing to lose since I could always send it back if something went wrong. After several attempts, I was able to get it back into shape without any structural damage. I was able to add pelican hooks to my lifelines without changing the length.Mission accomplished. It seems like they add 2 feet to the boat. They are a great addition.